The New Age- Camp Half-Blood 2
by RiptideThePen
Summary: A new era of demigods! Nicole is finally finding out the truth about her family and who she really is. This is not a crummy fanfiction that doesn't continue, because I have friends that help me and give me ideas! Read it, I think you'll like it! Quest is incoming!
1. The Truth

Chapter 1

Who knew that all this time, while Mom and I lived in a small, mouse-sized house in New Jersey, that my dad had a palace? Not me. I learned the truth about the reason Mom was scared of me, the reason strange things happened in my life, and the reason I never knew my father, after one little mistake during second grade.

Apparently, I was a bad kid, so my teacher separated my desk from everyone else. A few days before, I got mad at some obnoxious boys and the fish tank in our classroom exploded just as I was about to yell at them. Last month, while I was on the playground with my only friend, Devan, we were playing tag when the playground started to shake, and Devan fell off a high slide. Acting completely out of character, she _told_ on me, saying I had pushed her off. Oh, and on the first day of school, I had a pencil sword fight with one of the boys and suddenly my reflexes went whack-o. I started attacking furiously and actually gave him some cuts with my sharp tip. I'm amazing at first impressions as you can see.

One day, I was just doing my normal routine. I was nice and snug in my fuzzy winter coat since our school didn't have heating. It was a cold, dry December morning. Unbelievably, it was the last day until winter break. Nothing could go wrong, I thought. Devan came into class late. Pulled back was her frizzy, blond hair and her blue eyes had a hint of mischievousness in them.

"Sorry, Miss Carol. My master—er—mom gave me some last minute instructions for after school," she explained. Although her head was down, pretending to be disappointed in herself, Devan kept glaring at me out of the corner of her eye. I tilted my head like a confused dog, and she mouthed to me 'Later.' I nodded.

Lunchtime came around and as usual, Devan sat next to me, looking rather pale.

"Why do you look so pale, Dev? It's winter break soon! Snow, Christmas, and no school for a week!" I exclaimed. Devan still looked worried. "Is—is it about what happened this morning?" Devan continued to stare down at the lunch table.

"Miss Carol's class, you may go up for lunch!" spoke the lunch aid over the microphone. I got up to get on line. Once I got back to my seat, Devan wasn't there. I barely had time to think 'That's weird' when a blood-curdling scream arose in the room. I turned my head around to be greeted with the sight of a monster. Not just any monster, but a mormo! Mom used to tell me stories about different Greek monsters and according to her, mormos bit bad children. I believe that's the threat she used when I was younger. Go figure.

The mormo was like a vampire. It had the same hair as Devan but now her eyes were glistening red. The mormo had yellow teeth and fangs as sharp as knives. Before I could think of what to do, the creature lunged at me. Grabbed the nearest objest I could find: a lunch tray. I blocked the mormo from sinking its teeth into my neck and swatted it away like a fly. The monster fell to the ground and I snatched up a plastic knife and tried to stab it.

I wasn't expecting it to do much, and it didn't. The monster received a shallow cut in the arm. However, what I wasn't expecting was golden blood to come oozing out of the wound, dripping down and gathering on the floor. It hissed at me, bared its fangs, and then leaped onto me, causing me to hit the tile with a WHACK!

By now, the entire 2nd grade had evacuated and the principal was reading over the loudspeaker, "Everyone, this is a lockdown. An active shooter is in the building." Active shooter? All I saw was a mythological monster attempting to rip up my flesh and bite my neck. I was on the ground, rolling out of the way of every attack. My tray had skidded across the aisle so all I had was a bloody plastic knife in hand. I couldn't stand up or I would be stuck down again. After another failed attempt at biting me, I managed to sink my knife into its neck.

"HSSSSS! Bad child! But I will not go down so easily, young demigod," the monster hissed. Eventually, my lunch weapon broke in half and I made a run for it. The only place I could think of was the girl's restroom in the forbidden stall. Apparently, something bad happened to every single kid that used it. They either got a stomach virus the next day, were sent to the principal's office, or maybe received a bad grade with a side of scolding from the teacher. I thought, well, what else could possibly go wrong? Answer, swirly.

The mormo marched in. "Come 'ere child. Let me feassst on your blood." The stall door swung open and the mormo grabbed me. It struggled, trying to get free from its clutches when a burning sensation started in my body. The monster had bit me. Blood dripped down my neck and I was searching for a solution. I could barely breathe and then, the creature knocked me headfirst into the toilet.

There was no point in holding my breath. I took in a large gulp of water, expecting to drown but instead I healed. Instead of water, air was entering my lungs. The pain I had been feeling escaped and now it was replenished with relief. After I managed to land my feet on the ground I repositioned myself and faced the monster who looked terribly shocked.

"You're—you're _alive_! B-but how?" the mormos stammered.

"I'm a tougher opponent then you think," I answered. Then I realized that my hair was completely dry. Surprisingly there wasn't a drop of water on my skin. The monster still looked quite surprised, but its expression slowly changed into a smirk.

"You got lucky. Now I'll finish you—AGHHHH!" it bellowed. Something had stabbed it in the back and now the golden substance was spilling everywhere. I watched in amazement as the figure destroyed the monster in a matter of seconds. The monster had turned into gold dust. Now I could see the figure clearly. It was a man with inky hair that wasn't tidy. He had sea green eyes that looked just like mine and in his hand was a trident. The man was wearing a Hawaiian button up shirt and swim trunks with dolphins on them. Manly.

"Thank you," I said, my voice wavering.

The man nodded. "Anytime." And in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

The next few hours were a blur. Police officers came in and scooped me up, taking me outside where Mom was waiting. Her brown hair was in a messy bun. She gave me a hug and then together we had to go to the police station.

I was exhausted. Questions swam in my mind like a pool. Confusion took me over. Why were mythological beings attacking me? How did I breathe in the water? Mom was in the interrogation room as I started to drift to sleep. However, I was able to catch a few lines.

"So, Ms. Katherine Shale, it seems that you are poor, unemployed, and your husband is dead," the police officer stated.

"Missing," Mom corrected.

"Hm, right. Okay, well while we continue our investigation, we have to take into consideration that you or your daughter had something to do with the shooting."

There was a long, awkward pause.

"_How_ could an innocent, seven-year old girl instruct a school shooting? Officer, you've got this all wrong!" Mom shouted.

"Ma'am, I understand your concern, but looking back at Nicole's record," the man started, examining a document, "just a few days ago, she caused a fish tank to explode. It also seems that on the first day of school, she caused injuries to a boy using a pencil. I know it sounds bazaar but Nicole might've had something to do with all of this."

"… Okay. What are the charges?" Mom said in an empty tone. A slip of paper was given to her, which was followed by a surprised gasp. She nodded.

Shortly afterward, I fell asleep. When I woke up, the sun was shining through my bedroom window. My clock read 8:00 am. I could smell oatmeal coming from the kitchen. As I began to get up, I could hear a pair of voices, one of which was my mom.

"Chiron, please, Nicole needs to go. Her powers are slipping and even monsters are noticing her!" Mom shouted.

"Katherine, I'm sorry, but with another war arising and with Percy missing we can't accept her. You know what; I'll make arrangements with her father. Maybe after her next birthday she can go to his palace and live there for a while. Er—when is her birthday again?" a man, who must've been Chiron, asked. He had a deep voice and sounded very confident.

"August 1st, sir. She'll be eight."

"Perfect. Well, I have to run. Goodbye now," Chiron said. A sigh escaped Mom. I figured now would be an okay time to exit my room, so I did. The strange thing was Mom was leaning over the sink and the water was running. When she noticed me, she turned around.

"Oh, hey Nicole. Sit down. Breakfast is almost ready."

0O0O0O0

The rest of the year stunk. No one sat with me, talked to me, or acknowledged my existence. My desk was right next to the teacher's desk. When I walked home, kids would run after throwing acorns, pinecones, or whatever else they could find, at me. Finally, the last day of school came around, and following it was my birthday. Mom wanted to take me to the beach, despite the threatening hurricane. Strangely enough, she also had me pack my things and pile them into the car as if I were moving. All day she looked pale an worried. As we set off, I noticed tears tumbling down her cheeks, but I decided not to say anything.

We arrived at the Jersey Shore as dark storm clouds had started to roll in. Mom got my bags as I observed the area. Only one person was on the beach, and Mom started walking towards him. I sprinted after her and panic started to fill my body. Was I going to be taken away by this man? Was I leaving Mom? I had to force myself not to cry. I was being kicked out on my birthday.

The man turned as he heard us. "SISTER!" he shouted, grabbing me into a hug. When he put me down, I realized that he had one, big brown eye in the middle of his forehead. He started to take my bags as Mom let out soft cries. "Daddy told me you were coming. I'm Tyson," he said.

"I'll be going now," Mom sniffled. She brushed my red bangs out of my eyes and kissed my forehead. "You'll do great Nicole."

Anger and sadness got the best of me. As I burst into tears, I screamed. "WHAT IS GOING ON?! WHY AM I GOING TO DAD'S PALACE?! DAD IS DEAD! WHY ARE MYTHOLOGICAL BEING SUDDENLY REAL? WHY CAN I BREATHE IN WATER? WHERE AM I GOING? SOMEONE PLEASE BE STRAIGHT WITH ME!" My legs crumbled and I fell to the ground. Tears soaked the sand underneath me.

"Missing," I heard Mom mutter.

Five minutes passed and my crying had stopped. I returned to reality and spoke like a real person.

"T-Tyson, I don't kn-know you, b-but what's g-going on?" I stammered shaking as rain began to fall from the clouds.

Tyson chuckled. "You're a demigod, half mortal, half Greek god. Your dad is Poseidon, god of the seas; therefore, you have power over water. With training, you'll be able to control water, and as you already know, you can breathe and stay dry underwater. I'm taking you to your dad's palace today," Tyson explained.

I turned to Mom. "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"Because the less you know, the less monsters will know. They go after demigods because they have a scent. If you're kept away from the truth, the safer you are," Mom answered.

Thunder rumbled and the ground gave a little shake. I swear there was an evil laugh in the distance as well. Tyson's smile turned into a frown. "We should go. Bye Ms. Shale!"

But she was already gone.

"So, dad—Poseidon—is underwater? In a _palace_?" I asked Tyson.

"Yup, and we should get going. Don't let yourself get wet," he informed me.

Tyson and I walked into the water. It got deeper and deeper until we were completely submerged. I took in a big breath of air and smiled. It was amazing underwater. We passed by schools of fish and different mythologicals beings. It felt like hours, but the palace was finally visible.

The palace was like an underwater castle. The flat walls were Stygian iron with zigzag scallop shells imbedded into them. The tops of some towers were giant Florida auger shells. Next to the castle was a port sending ships (not submarines) into battle. Well, at least I assumed they were for battle. In front of the castle was a small, wooden shack.

"That's where the Cyclopes' and I work making armor and weapons." Tyson grinned. "I'm their captain." Tyson led me inside the palace. We passed a dozen rooms filled with working mermaids, Cyclopes, and sea nymphs. We roamed through winding hallways until we finally found an empty bedroom. Surprisingly, the door had a sign on it that said _Reserved for Nicole Shale_. I eagerly opened the door and was greeted with the most amazing room ever.

The walls were painted azure blue but the back wall was a fish tank. In it swam dozens of clown fish. My bed sheets and quilt were surfing themed and above the bed was an exact replica of the surfboard I always wanted. Poseidon knew I wanted to surf! Next to my bed was a desk that was already equipped with a laptop. My dressers were calacatta gold marble and the handles were made of real shells. There were empty shelves and a toy chest. I even had a cupboard filled with my favorite snacks. When I thought the presentation was over, I turned slightly to my right. On the wall was a two foot long sword. The sword was separated into two sides. One side was iron and the other was- what was that metal?

"That sword is half iron, half Celestial bronze. It's called-" I cut in.

"Tidal Wave," I said mesmerized. Tyson looked at me astounded. I noticed I had read the Greek symbols παλιρροϊκό κύμα.

"One of your brothers uses a Celestial bronze sword. He's great," Tyson affirmed. I looked to the left of the sword and saw a framed picture of a boy with messy black hair and sea green eyes. He was wearing an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. The boy looked like he was about sixteen. He was surrounded by six other friends. Three of them were wearing Camp Half-Blood t-shirts and the other three were wearing purple SPQR t-shirts. I kept staring at the boy. I didn't know who he was, yet, but I felt a strong connection to him.

"Those seven are fighting in the war. Right now, they could be dying, because today was the day their enemy was going to rise," Tyson said sadly.

"The boy in the middle, is- is he my brother?" I asked

"Yes, that's Percy." As soon as he said his name, Tyson looked away as if he had said too much.

"Percy," I repeated. I noticed I had been staring at the photo for five minutes, even though my ADHD made it seem like five seconds.

"Nicole, you should start to unpack. Then go to bed. I have a lot of work to do."

"Nope. You have to tell me about Percy first."

Tyson laughed. "Okay, but that's going to take more than a night." A shell that was strapped to Tyson's belt started to make noise.

"Tyson, we are sending you into battle. Come to the foyer immediately," a masculine voice spoke.

"I'll be right their Daddy," Tyson responded. "Sorry Nicole. Please unpack and ignore any booms you hear outside." Tyson ran out. I lay on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. For the first time, I noticed that my ceiling was actual water. I focused, and for a moment, I swear I saw Percy on the ground with the blonde girl in the photo by his side.

The next morning, Tyson woke me up.

"Rise and shine Nicki. Can I call you that?"

"Sure, no problem," I responded, half asleep.

"Daddy told me that your job for the next four years is messenger in the morning and the librarian's assistant in the afternoon. You can train in the evening. Come on, Nicki! Start getting ready!" For a second, I was angry he had woken me up so early, considering I still had a dozen questions on my mind. Then, I realized that today was the first day of the next four years of my life. I smiled.

"Tyson, you still have to tell me Percy's stories."


	2. Camp!

Chapter 2

***4 years later***

Tyson turned on my room light. "Happy birthday Nicki! Today is the day!" he shouted, seeming excited for me. At first, I didn't understand what he was talking about. Then I realized that I was turning twelve today, and I was going to Camp Half-Blood. Although I was definitely going to miss my dad's palace, I was excited to meet my brother and all of his friends. Over the past four years, I did what Tyson had told me I would have to do. In the morning, I gave messages to the assigned people, which helped me get to know the nymphs and mermaids a lot better. The afternoon was when I worked at the library. When there weren't many customers, I studied marine biology, Greek mythology, and ancient fighting techniques. A few of the Cyclopes' helped me learn to handle my sword, Tidal Wave, in the evening. When I went to bed at night, Tyson told me stories about Percy Jackson, the demigod that saved Olympus, the demigod that was asked to be immortal, and the demigod that defeated Gaea.

My heart was racing at the idea that today I would meet him. All I wanted to do was be like him one day. However, no matter how hard I worked or how well I did, I never thought I would ever have the ability to surpass him or even be close. That's where my fatal flaw began to form. Over the past years, I had met with my dad a few times. The first time was three months after I first came to his palace. He answered all of the questions I had about demigods and things. Poseidon really helped me clear my mind.

I quickly hopped out of bed and got dressed. I threw my camp t-shirt, which was actually Percy's when he was twelve, black shorts, and some navy basketball sneakers. Although I didn't need it, I put on my black leather belt which had my sword, underwater camera (who says demigods can't have hobbies?), and explosives pack (the Cyclopes' taught me to always have some on me). Without much effort, I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and brushed my straight, short, red hair. I grabbed my messenger bag, brushed my bangs out of my eyes, and went off to deliver my final messages. I sprinted through the confusing hallways, which I had finally mastered, and said quick goodbyes as I delivered my documents. When I was done, I raced back to my room and packed a large backpack with a few essentials (by that, I meant clothes, a tooth brush, and my monster proof electronics). Before I left for good, I yanked the picture of my brother and his friends off the wall and then shoved it in my backpack. I was off!

"Tyson, I'm coming!" I shouted down the long hallway. I busted out of the double doors in the front of the palace. There was Tyson inside of a ship (once again, not a submarine. No, I don't know how that's possible!). My dad was standing next to it.

"Good luck at camp," Poseidon said, smiling. He held out his hand for me to shake it but instead I tackled him with a hug. When I was finished, I jumped into the boat. Tyson started the engine. I could see the palace in the distance, so I decided to wave goodbye. After all, I did live there for four years of my life.

"We'll be there in about two hours," Tyson said. I didn't care.

"Camp Half-Blood, here I come!" I shouted out the window.

Two hours felt like two days, thanks to my ADHD. Usually, I would be interested in the hippocampi swimming outside of my window, but today was too exciting. All I could think about was getting to meet my idol and all of his friends. I couldn't wait to train with other demigods, and make new friends. That's when the negatives started to creep into my head. What if no one liked me? What if I was really bad with my sword? What if I wasn't good enough? As quickly as possible, I pushed those bad thoughts aside. I had been waiting for this day for four years, and I wasn't letting some crazy ideas ruin it.

After an hour, I got into the habit of constantly asking Tyson "Are we there yet?" every five minutes. This resulted in me rolling out of my seat when Tyson summoned a surge of water to crash through my window. He laughed as he watched me struggle to my feet. For the next hour, I sat still in my seat, ignoring all of the seahorses that were trying to talk to me. Finally, the impatience got to me. "Are we there yet?" I blurted.

"Actually, yes!" Tyson laughed. I jumped out of my seat so high that my head hit the ceiling. Tyson and I climbed out of the boat and ran, or _swam, _to shore. As we reached land, the sun was high in the sky. We had ended up in the woods, which Tyson easily navigated through. We reached a giant pine tree, that Tyson had told me about when I was younger. He had said that when Annabeth, Luke, Thalia, and Grover were trying to get into Camp Half-Blood, a Cyclopes struck Thalia down. Her father was merciful enough to turn her into a pine tree, so she wouldn't die and to form a border around the camp. I smiled, remembering the bedtime story that was surprisingly real. I turned to my right and saw the camp entrance. I was about to step in when my nervousness came back. My excited smile turned into a frown, and Tyson seemed to notice.

"It's okay, you'll do great. I've known you for a long time sister, and I have faith that you will have a great time," he encouraged. I took a deep breath and adjusted my backpack that was slung over my shoulders. With that, I stepped in, and I felt a surge of relief run through my bones. I felt like I belonged here, as if that was my real home. Tyson stood beside me as I took a moment to take in the scenery. There were rows and rows of strawberries close to the border. Other demigods were running around, training or working. I looked below me where I saw a big, red house. I could see people talking on the small porch. Tyson ran ahead of me. "C'mon!" he shouted. I sprinted after him, but I couldn't match his incredible speed. Eventually we got to the red house. On the porch stood three people; one was a man with brown hair and a short beard. He had armor on his chest and a bow slung over his shoulder. From the waist down, he was a brown horse. From Tyson's description, I assumed he was Chiron, the camp activities leader.

Next to him was a blonde girl. She had the start of tan and had stormy grey eyes. The girl was wearing an orange camp T-shirt. She was definitely Annabeth, no question, who looked just as Tyson had described her. The last person was a tall boy. He was smiling down at me as my mouth fell open into an 'O' shape. He had shaggy black hair and sea green eyes. He too wore a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt.

"Are you Percy?" I asked mesmerized. He laughed and nodded, then looked to Tyson who looked like he was about to give a speech.

"Behold," Tyson started, "the daughter of Poseidon, Nicole Shale." I stood there frozen in terror, because Tyson and I never agreed on that introduction. I was blushing furiously as the three of them smiled at me. Finally, I managed a nervous laugh and re-learned how to speak.

"H-hi," I croaked, waving.

"Hi, I'm Annabeth, cabin 6," Annabeth said, holding out her hand. Smiling, I shook it. "Come in," she instructed leading me to the front door of the house. Percy blushed as Annabeth grabbed his hand so they could walk in together. Chiron sat across from me.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood," Chiron announced. "This is the Big House. And I believe, since you lived in a god's palace for four years, you don't need an orientation video. A quick tour should do." Chiron looked over to Annabeth who nodded. For the first time I noticed her necklace that had fourteen clay beads. Percy only had eight.

Percy looked over to Chiron, and spoke. "Sir, should I go clear a bunk for Nicole in cabin 3?" he asked. Chiron nodded in agreement. Percy left the room, leaving Tyson, Annabeth, Chiron and I. Annabeth studied me, and I thought for a second I had done something wrong.

"How do you already have that shirt?" she asked, looking at my camp T-shirt.

"Oh, this? This- this was Percy's when he was twelve," I responded.

"How did you get seaweed brain's shirt?" I looked at Tyson who shrugged.

"I found it in cabin 3 one day while cleaning," was his simple answer.

Annabeth shrugged. "Well then, Chiron, may I take her on the tour?"

"Sure, go ahead. Then you still have to help set up for the celebration tonight," Chiron responded. We got up and headed for the door. I didn't even wait a minute to start asking my questions. For the gods sakes', these were my _heroes_ we're talking about!

"What's the celebration for?" I asked, looking at Annabeth as we walked.

"Today is the four year anniversary of the day the children of the prophecy defeated Gaea and put her into an eternal sleep. Tyson told you about that, right?" I nodded.

"Okay, well, are you and Percy really dating?"

"Yes," she said, smiling. "Five years now." I quickly added that up in my head, which meant Annabeth was now twenty-one.

"Did you ever have a crush on Luke?" I asked. Annabeth stopped, paling.

"I—um—uh," was her answer. I laughed. I was making a child of Athena stammer. "Why do you need to know that?"

"Because I know everything about camp so why not ask things to my idols that they could only answer. Now, how terrified are you of spiders?"

The color that had started to return to Annabeth's face drained again. "Nicole, you must have as much seaweed in your head as your brother if you can't tell when someone's uncomfortable!" she shouted.

"Well…"

"Very. Every time I see one, I just think about falling into Tartarus again. That would be terrifying," Annabeth admitted. "But, we're at our first stop!" We hit almost every place at camp. First the strawberry fields, then the Pegasus stables, the forge and the armory, the arena, the mess hall, Fireworks Beach, the climbing wall, the amphitheater, the canoe lake, the arts and crafts center, the volleyball court, and finally the cabins. There were twenty, oppose to twelve. Annabeth led me into cabin three where Percy was sitting on his bunk, doing his best to read Argonautica (even though it was in ancient Greek). When he saw us he leaped down from his bunk to greet us.

"Hey wise girl, hey Nicole. Sorry I didn't talk to you at the Big House. Even though after the titan war the Big Three can have children, I was just shocked. Anyway, here's your bunk. Your activity schedule is there and according to it, we have lunch now so c'mon!" Percy shouted. He lifted me up onto his shoulders and pulled Annabeth along as Percy ran to the mess hall. Now at camp, you were allowed to sit wherever, but since I didn't know anyone I sat with Percy and his friends, which he was fine with.

After getting our food, Percy introduced me to his friends. "Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank, and Hazel, this is my new half-sister, Nicole," Percy said. I waved and everyone said their 'hello's'.

"Well, Jackson, your sister is a bit late. I already have a half-brother, Liam," Jason said, pointing to a boy at another table. He had electric blue eyes and short, curly, dark brown hair. Liam was talking to the other kids at the table.

"Seriously Jason, shut up. I get a new half sibling like every week!" Leo exclaimed. Jason pouted and we all laughed. We ate and they told me stories about their time on the Argo II. We were just about to leave when a boy came up to Annabeth and mouthed her something in Greek. The boy had light brown, medium-length, windswept hair and blue-grey eyes. After Annabeth and he had their mini conversation, she turned towards me.

"Nicole, this is Wyatt Mills, son of Athena. Wyatt, this is Nicole, seaweed brain's sister," Annabeth said. We said hi and shook hands then walked off to our next activity, which for me was weapon making. I didn't really need a weapon since I had Tidal Wave, but it's still required. A demigod, about my age, greeted us as the demigods walked in.

She was obviously a child of Hephaestus. She stood proudly next to Leo, the same mischievous grin painted on her face. She had long, slightly curly, maroon hair and chestnut colored eyes. The girl had peach skin dotted with freckles and callused hands. Her camp shirt was worn along with her ripped up, slightly burnt jeans. Her shoes were black and she had an apron on. Strapped to her apron was a Stygian iron sword. She looked dangerous yet friendly.

"Hey everyone. I'm Skylar Young, daughter of Hephaestus, in case you didn't know, and I'll be helping Leo with weapon making class. This is my weapon," Skylar started, taking out her sword. Immediately, it turned into a mallet. "Whoops," she muttered, blushing. It turned back into a sword. "Anyway, today we'll be making arrows. Everyone, choose your metal," Skylar said, gesturing towards the large shelf of different metals. There were mortal metals and godly metals. I walked over to the shelf along with the rest of the group and got a block of Imperial gold. I noticed Liam was right next to me.

"Hey, aren't you Jason's brother?" I asked.

"Hmm," Liam looked at me, "Oh, yeah. You must be Jackson's sister. Nice to meet-whoa!" Liam was pushed aside by Skylar who shot him an evil look, her eyes turning red, like fire.

"You don't want to be hanging around that no-good son of Zeus. Anyway, you caught my eye when I was talking before. You new here?" Skylar asked.

"Uh, yeah. I'm Nicole Shale, daughter of Poseidon. Also, why did you just shove Liam?" I asked.

"Oh, a Big Three child, eh? And don't worry about Liam—just a complicated past, y'know?"

"Stupid grudges," I heard Liam mutter, carrying his metal to an anvil.

"So, I guess I'll see you at the sing-along. Maybe we could talk or something. By the way, I'm thirteen," Skylar suggested, ignoring Liam's comment.

"Sure," I smiled. Skylar walked off and I spent the next two hours making a set of golden arrows. After that, Percy and I had cabin clean-up. We had an unexpected visit from Liam who stumbled in with leaves and dirt in his hair.

"Sorry," he muttered. "The Stolls suppose I'm and easy target since I'm a younger half-blood."

Free time came along and I spent it with Annabeth in cabin 6. Wyatt was below us on his bunk. He frequently asked her questions while typing away on her laptop.

"Wyatt wants to be an engineer," Annabeth told me. "He has a really sharp mind for a twelve-year old."

"How long has he been at camp?" I asked.

Annabeth shrugged. "I think about three months, but I can't really keep track. We came across him in an unusual way; I was out with Piper and Hazel. When we were coming back from lunch in the city, he was running from a mormos with frizzy blond hair." My skin turned as white as snow with that minor detail. Before I could say anything, the conch horn was blown, and I sprinted to the mess hall.

After dinner, I had the volleyball league. I returned to my cabin, sweaty and exhausted, but I still had the celebration tonight, which was during the sing-along.

I rushed over to the campfire, which Leo and Skylar were dancing in. When Skylar saw me, she ran over and sat down.

"Sorry, Leo bet me 5 drachmas I would be too chicken to do that for five minutes. Cha-ching!" Skylar laughed. Lined up in front of the fire were the seven demigods. Before Chiron could start his speech, Skylar whispered to me "Be careful tonight."

"Heroes, tonight we celebrate the four year anniversary of when these seven brave warriors put the earth mother to sleep. Let's pray to the gods that they will live long, happy lives and that you will be as talented as them. Cheers to Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leo Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, and the ones who crawled through Tartarus, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase!" Chiron announced. The crowd broke into applause and the demigods bowed. I didn't know it, but someone was crawling behind my seat.

"Hey!" the person shouted into my ear. I fell backwards out of shock. Standing behind my seat was a girl who looked slightly younger than me. She had long, curly black hair and brown eyes that had a mischievous glow to them. "I'm Melody Fisher. Pleased to meet you," she said, holding out her hand, expecting me to shake it. Awkwardly I took her hand and immediately regretted it. Sent through my body was a shock, and Melody laughed. "Ha ha, see you around." Melody took something from my belt, but I couldn't tell what. Then, without another word, she ran into the woods. Suddenly, I looked down to see that my sword was gone.

"Come back here!" I shouted into the night. Skylar was next to me, tearing up from laughter.

"You better go catch her. Melody's fast, y'know," Skylar managed between laughs. I sprinted after Melody, smiling. That's what Skylar warned me about…


	3. Capture the Flag Challenge

I woke up early, since it was Percy's birthday. Luckily, thanks to a very powerful Clarisse the night before, Percy was exhausted and hadn't gotten up yet. I slipped into my camp t-shirt and some shorts then tip toed out of cabin three, heading for cabin six.

Over the past couple of weeks, I had become really good friends with Liam (ADHD and dyslexic) and Melody (ADHD), who were eleven, Wyatt (dyslexic), and Skylar (ADD and dyslexic). We sat together during meals and sing-alongs. Fortunately, we had the same activities most of the time. During free time, we would hang out in the Zeus cabin, since it was roomy and Jason would go off to do 'manly' activities with Percy. We would have mini fights with our weapons or just chat. Melody, however, would run around tripping us, since her weapon was a bow and Liam wouldn't allow her to use it. She had gotten the bow when she came to camp because she was better at it than any other weapon. Skylar had then made some modifications on it so that the arrows could turn into any object once shot.

Liam's weapon was cool and unlike anything else you've ever seen; an imperial gold machete. Wyatt used a celestial bronze dagger that Annabeth had made him shortly after he came to camp. It had a name, λύτρωση, meaning redemption. Annabeth had done that since the dagger she received was had been cursed with a broken promise, and she wanted to have a family member with an actual promise.

Melody and I also frequently had intense height matches to see who was taller. Somehow, she beat me by a half an inch every time.

Anyway, I quietly opened the door to see if Annabeth was ready for Percy's wake-up call. Sure enough, there she was in an aqua spaghetti strap dress that went down to her shins. Her golden curls draped over her shoulders and she was wearing owl earrings.

"Ready?" I asked. Annabeth nodded.

"Let me just go run over to the mess hall and grab the food," she said. I sprinted back over to my cabin and waited outside the door, making sure Percy wasn't waking up. Annabeth came over with a stack of perfectly cooked blue pancakes. We walked into the cabin and I climbed up the ladder to Percy's bed. I mouthed to Annabeth 'now' and she nodded, containing her laughter since she knew what I was about to do. I leaned in very close to Percy.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY PERSEUS!" I shouted into Percy's ear. He sat up, causing him to bump his head on the ceiling.

"Hey," Percy whined, rubbing his skull. "That wasn't nice. It's my birthday and—," Percy stopped when he saw the pancakes in the naturally beautiful Annabeth's hands. "Whoa, Annabeth you look—and the pancakes…" Percy was at a loss for words. I'm not sure he knew which was more beautiful, Annabeth or his breakfast. Annabeth pecked his cheek.

"Shut up, seaweed brain, and eat the food," Annabeth said. Annabeth and I laughed as we watched Percy wolf down his food, taking ridiculously big bites. When the plate was cleared, Annabeth was still laughing, but Percy quickly put an end to that by pulling her into a passionate kiss. They sat on his bed, kissing for about five seconds, and when they still wouldn't separate, so I decided to leave. That was the unfortunate thing about having a twenty-one-year old brother: you had to put up with romance.

I arrived at the mess hall and sat in between Skylar and Melody. Liam and Wyatt sat in front of us. All four of them were looking in the same direction, their skin as white as snow. I turned to what they were staring at and saw a short, tan-skinned girl being claimed by Ares, the war god.

"Aw man," Liam grumbled, "Not another! They always want to beat me up.

"Oh shoot," I said. "Another Ares kid to show whose boss." I grinned and my friends laughed. Just as they began to relax, the girl walked over to our table. I noticed she had long, black hair in a braid and something even creepier. Her eyes were red, yes, _red_. She wedged herself in between Liam and Wyatt. They scooted away, a look of panic drawn across their faces.

"'Sup punks. I'm Ruby. Which of you are on my capture the flag team?" Ruby asked.

"Me," Liam squeaked.

"Me too," said Melody. Ruby's eyes were glowing now, as if she were unsatisfied with the answer.

"Darn, I got the weak ones of the group. Oh well," Ruby sighed. I clenched my fists and grit my teeth.

"And what if it was me on your team?" I asked her. Ruby looked at me.

"Hm? Oh, you're Percy's sister. Too bad you didn't inherit any of his traits," Ruby taunted, grinning evilly. I stood up and all of the water from my friends' cups was drawn towards me. Skylar pushed me back into my seat.

"I'm going to destroy you tonight," I threatened.

"Good luck," she said, walking away. Once she was gone, my friends stared at me as if I was crazy.

"Nicole Rhode Shale, you are going to get us _killed_," Skylar scolded.

"What's the problem? I can crush that kid," I said. Drat, Ares was making me angry.

"Look, Nicole," Wyatt started in a calmer tone, "the Ares kids are known for doing humiliating things to anyone who stands in their way. They will obliterate your reputation. SO, please don't cause any trouble." I began to relax and my anger was melting.

"Okay," I replied. "But watch out red team, because blue is going to win."

My day went like this: Ancient Greek, store checks, archery, Greek mythology, lunch, wrestling, letters home (which I didn't do to mom, I made it out to Tyson), then free time. I had stayed in the Poseidon cabin for free time that day, fiddling with my thumbs while lying on my bed. My mind was working at a million miles per hour. Percy walked in after about ten minutes, moved my sword which was lying across my bed, and sat down next to me.

"What's wrong, Nicki? I thought you usually go to the Zeus cabin," Percy asked.

My face burned. I didn't know what to say to him. 'Hey Percy, I kind of challenged an Ares kid to battle me during capture the flag tonight!' That wasn't happening. "Uh, Perce, c-could you and your friends sit out during capture the flag tonight?" I asked. His answer surprised me.

"Actually, we were planning to. Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Leo, Nico, Frank, Hazel, Thalia and I are all going for dinner in a few. But, why would you want us to sit out?"

"I kind of, sort of challenged a new Ares kid and said I would crush her tonight and her team. It would mean more to me if I didn't have the help of you guys. I've been trying to figure out a plan all day," I confessed. Percy smiled and ruffled my hair.

"Nicole, that's great! C'mon, you'll do fine. I've seen you spar and you have some great skills with your sword. You'll win, no doubt," Percy encouraged.

"Thanks Perce. I guess I'll go to cabin 1 now." I hopped off my bed, grabbed Tidal Wave, and headed for cabin 1. Only Melody and Liam were inside, making a plan for the game.

"Hey, no peeking!" Melody shouted. I covered my eyes as a joke.

"Well, where are Wyatt and Skylar?" I asked.

"In cabin 6. Now, shoo!" Liam ordered. I sighed and sprinted to Athena's cabin. Wyatt and Skylar were on his bunk.

"Hey guys," I said. "Perce and his friends aren't participating tonight so it's up to us. What's the plan?" Wyatt had jotted down a list of the teams. Blue was Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Hephaestus, Apollo, Iris, Hecate, Nemesis, and Nike. Red was Zeus, Hades, Hermes, Ares, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Hypnos, Hebe, and Tyche.

"Well," Wyatt started, "I was thinking that the Apollo kids hide in the trees around our flags because of their archery skills. Demeter kids will guard the flag since they can control the plants. They'll guard along with the Nike cabin. The Athena cabin, as usual, will try and grab the flag as Poseidon, Iris, and Hephaestus rush into battle. Oh, and the Nemesis and Hecate kids will defend at the borderline." I nodded in agreement. Wyatt and Skylar always made the best plans together.

After a few minutes of talking, the conch horn blew and we ran for the mess hall. We wolfed down our food, barely talking since our mouths' were full, and once we were finished, all of us rushed to the armory. I snatched a breastplate off the wall along with a shield and a helmet. Once I was done, I met my team in the woods.

"Wyatt informed everyone on the plan," Skylar said. I took my position. Chiron shouted, "GO!" and the battle was on.

I ran along the side closest to the river, splashing anyone who came close to me. My sword was drawn and I was only trying to find one person, Ruby. Eventually I got to a clearing where I saw Wyatt and Skylar dodging rocks, which were probably Melody's from her bow. I quickly left the scene. That's when I heard shouts to my side.

"Hey!" someone shouted. "She's over there!" I sprinted faster. Footsteps were gathering behind me. Suddenly, Ruby dropped in front of me. In her hand was an imperial gold knife.

"You showed up," Ruby remarked.

"Of course," I replied. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, I thought you'd chicken out."

"Never," I said. And the battle began.

Ruby charged at me, knife in hand. She lunged, trying to stab my sword arm, but I swung my blade and it clashed with hers. The tip off my sword would've decapitated her, except Ruby ducked and brought her knife back to her chest. I stabbed my sword toward her and she dodged. However, a small part of the blade stroke Ruby, leaving a mark on her cheek. Ruby grit her teeth and her eyes were like an inferno now. Her Ares skills must've kicked in because Ruby started to attack like a madwoman.

First, she stabbed in the direction of my chest. I blocked her with Tidal Wave. Then, Ruby went for my neck, but I jumped out of the way. But she did manage to cut off some of my hair. From there it was full on war. Our weapons clashed over and over. Sparks flew in the air every five seconds. Ruby maneuvered incredibly well with her knife, even though it was short. She was able to guard pretty much every attack.

Somehow, Ruby was able to catch me off-guard in a split second of weakness, and almost totally impaled me. I rolled past her, but the knife still left a nasty gash in my side. Blood trickled down my shirt. As I was behind her, I swung my sword. She turned as I did so, so my blade left a cut running down her arm. Each of us stopped when we heard voices.

"Get him! He has the flag!" Liam shouted. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Wyatt, trying to fend off enemies as he ran with the flag. A few Nemesis kids came in to help, but the border was still too far. Ruby, seeing that I was distracted, knocked my sword out of my hand. It flew in the air, landing blade-first in the ground about ten feet away.

"παλιρροϊκό κύμα!" I screamed. I have a habit of talking in Greek when I'm worried or angry. I said Tidal Wave, and it was probably a good thing I said it in Greek, because it triggered a new feature of my sword that I hadn't known about.

Suddenly, the ground bellow me began to vibrate, and I mean like an earthquake vibration. Ruby fell down and so did everyone around me. I stayed on my feet. That's when I realized that the river was beginning to form a massive wave, and was headed towards the woods. The kids screamed, or, at least the red team did. The water hit the surface and washed up everyone. Wyatt dashed to the blue team's side, since the wave didn't go in that direction. When the water had cleared, my team was cheering. That's the last thing I remember before passing out.

I woke up in the infirmary, Wyatt, Skylar, and Melody next to me. I felt remarkably better. They smiled down at me as I sat up.

"We won?" I guessed.

Wyatt nodded. "Yup, thanks to whatever that was with your sword. Did you know it could do that?"

I shook my head. "No, but it might come in handy. But it obviously takes a lot of energy. How long was I out?"

They thought for a second before answering. "Um, an hour. We missed the sing-along, but at least you're alright," Skylar added. My face was burning red.

"Anyway, if you're feeling better, you might want to go back to your cabin before the harpies come out," Melody said.

We walked back to our cabins. Skylar and Wyatt were discussing some sort of multi-functional catapult as Melody chatted on about how the Stolls were planning an epic prank on the Dionysus cabin, and if she helped, they might let her into their prank group (which was currently only Travis and Connor). When I finally made it back to my cabin, I literally collapsed onto my bed out of exhaustion. It was a tiring game of capture the flag, but hey, I beat Ruby and that made it worth it.

My eyelids started to close when someone came through the door. Usually, I would dart up and draw my sword, but I was excessively tired to do that. Because my eyes were still slightly opened, I was able to tell that it was no other than the one and only Percy and Annabeth. They sat together on the couch, watching TV, until it all of a sudden turned into a make-out session. I forced my eyelids shut and drifted to sleep. Yay older brothers.


End file.
